The Seattle Seahawks had one more chance to rescue a messy afternoon.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba believed he should have kept it alive.
After Seattle’s 32-29 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 11, the receiver took responsibility for a third-down drop on the final possession. His frustration went past the pass that slipped away.
He felt the offense had wasted the work of its teammates on defense.
“Defense, best in the world, they deserve to win the game today, so sucks to let them down,” Smith-Njigba said in postgame video shared by The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta.
Smith-Njigba finished with five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers gave Seattle a chance. They offered not much consolation following its last drive stalling near midfield.
The Seahawks fell to 3-2, while San Francisco improved to 5-0. A game that Seattle had a chance to draw even with its division rival instead left it two games behind.
Smith-Njigba Takes Responsibility for Seahawks’ Late Drop
The deciding sequence left Smith-Njigba with a specific play to revisit.
With Seattle trailing by three, Sam Darnold targeted him on third down from midfield. Smith-Njigba dropped the pass near San Francisco’s 25-yard line. A completion would have moved the Seahawks into field goal range with an opportunity to pursue the winning touchdown.
Instead, Seattle faced fourth down. Cooper Kupp caught the next pass, but Malik Mustapha stopped him a yard short of the first down. San Francisco had survived.
“Offense, I think we were in our way too much. … Had an opportunity to go down there and win the game, I have to reel those ones in. And I know that,” Smith-Njigba said in Condotta’s video.
His assessment captured the difference between producing throughout a game and finishing its most important possession. Smith-Njigba had already delivered a 16-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, helping Seattle move ahead 23-21.
That contribution mattered. So did the chance to put the Seahawks in position to score again when they needed it most. Smith-Njigba acknowledged both the offense’s broader problems and his own missed opportunity without reaching for an excuse.
Seahawks’ Turnovers Put Defense in Tough Positions
The drop was the final missed opportunity in an afternoon filled with them.
Seattle committed four turnovers, and San Francisco turned those mistakes into 21 points, Condotta reported in his game story. That helps explain why Smith-Njigba’s postgame remarks centered on the defense despite the 32 points on the scoreboard.
Seattle also generated chances to recover. Nehemiah Pritchett intercepted a pass to set up Smith-Njigba’s touchdown, and a subsequent San Francisco fumble helped the Seahawks extend their lead to 26-21.
The 49ers answered with two fourth-quarter scoring drives. Seattle’s defense did surrender those possessions, but the offense’s earlier giveaways had already made the afternoon considerably harder.
Smith-Njigba’s comments reflected that imbalance. His praise for the defense was a teammate’s assessment, while his criticism of the offense addressed a problem Seattle needs to correct: giving away possessions and then asking its defense to absorb the consequences.
The Seahawks have a short turnaround before visiting the Denver Broncos on Thursday. Smith-Njigba closed his remarks with a promise that applied to himself and the group around him.
“I will learn from this and will be better. Our team will be better.”
Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba Makes Candid Admission After Late Drop